AuraSense Therapeutics Inks $13.6M Series C

AuraSense Therapeutics, a Chicago-based biopharmaceutical company that markets spherical nucleic acid (SNA) as a gene regulatory and immunotherapeutic agent, has announced the closure of its Series C funding, which included an investment by Bill Gates. ‘Based on the success of AuraSense Therapeutics in its extensive animal testing, we have ambitious plans to rapidly advance the construction of the SNA in the clinic,’ said Dr. David Giljohann, Chief Executive Officer, AuraSense Therapeutics

The Company has announced that current investors, including Patrick Ryan, founder of Aon; David Walt, co-founder of Illumina and director of the Company; Boon Hwee Koh, director of Agilent Technologies and former chairman of Singapore Airlines; Craig Mundie, senior advisor to Microsoft’s CEO; and new investors, the Rathmann Family Foundation, have invested alongside Mr Ryan. Gates Gates AuraSense Therapeutics adds to existing funding through the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to develop rapidly adaptable gene-targeted antibacterial agents to address the growing need for new antibiotics, and AbbVie Inc. who has served as a strategic investor in Series B financing

SNA Constructions overcome one of the most difficult obstacles to the broad implementation of oligonucleotide-derived therapeutics: safe and effective delivery to cells and tissues of interest. The funding round will be used to further develop and advance a number of novel SNA-based human trials constructs. ‘We are rapidly developing a comprehensive pharmaceutical pipeline for AuraSense Therapeutics and look forward to entering the clinic with our molecules, which will allow us to meet unmet medical needs,’ said Dr. Sergey Gryaznov, Chief Technology Officer of AuraSense Therapeutics

Schiff Hardin LLP served as an investment transaction consultant to AuraSense Therapeutics. The terms of the investment have not been disclosed

AuraSense Therapeutics, LLC

AuraSense Therapeutics (AST) is a biopharmaceutical company that develops first-in-class therapies based on its proprietary spherical nucleic acid (SNA) gene regulation and immune modulation strategies. AST is leading the translation of SNA constructs as innovative medicines with a focus on debilitating diseases with limited or no treatment options. AuraSense Therapeutics’ uniquely engineered SNA-Constructions possess attractive biocompatibility and versatility as therapeutics and are very promising to fight the most life-threatening diseases, including many forms of cancer, infectious diseases and skin conditions.

About Spherical Nucleic Acid

The technology of the SNA originated in the laboratory of Professor Chad A Mirkin at the Northwestern University International Institute of Nanotechnology SNAs are nanoscale particles consisting of a spherical arrangement of densely packed and radially-oriented nucleic acids. This architecture overcomes one of the most difficult barriers to gene regulation: safe and effective delivery of therapeutically important cells and tissues without the need for additional physical or chemical methods or components. SNAs can be designed to be extremely potent and highly targeted gene regulation and immune modulatory agents.

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